Home and Family

Our Mexican Vacation

2012-01-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know it has been a while since our vacation to Cozumel, Mexico. Actually it's been about 6 months ago. I would still like to share my pictures with you.

We went with our close friends/cousins and no kids.

We relaxed on beautiful beaches, perfect weather the whole time.

Hanging out in the open air lobby.

We spent a lot of time snorkeling in the crystal clear warm water.

Our resort beach was actually the best place to spot the fish.

Had to get my hair braided.

Rented scooters and rode them 1/2 way around the island.

We saw lots of iguanas.

It was loads of fun!

Taking pictures while riding:)

We saw one crocodile.

Climbed to the top of this lighthouse.

Explored many different beaches.

Hammocks where everywhere.

Hung out at Bob Marley's place. The food was incredible.

We ate and ate and ate loads of good food!

Eating the local crab.

Huge steak!

Churros are cheaper in Mexico. We accidentally ordered too many.

The view from our hotel room.

Looking down.

Farewell Cozumel! We had a wonderful time. The best vacation of our lives...so far.

My P90X Journey

2011-07-20T17:26:00.001-06:00

Watch a recap of my P90X journey. Full of fun, trials, turn-around, before and after pictures.

P90X 90 Day Update

2011-07-20T17:23:00.004-06:00

I am officially a P90X graduate! This is my re-cap of my P90X experience.

Family Pictures

2011-07-08T10:45:00.001-06:00

Here are the pictures we recently had taken of my side of the family.

The whole family

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-06T12:27:00.000-06:00

We had a crazy, fun 4th of July! Filled with fireworks, family reunions, and more fireworks. I posted some of the water games we played.

Water Games

2011-07-06T12:21:00.000-06:00

Our family was in charge of the family reunion this year and I was in charge of the water games. Since I was in charge I didn't get to take out my camera (also for the fear of getting it wet!). All who played enjoyed the games. Here is a list of the games we played:

Fill the bucket
You'll need 4 buckets and 2 big sponges. Have 2 buckets filled with water at the starting line and 2 empty buckets at the finish line. Divide the players into 2 equal teams. Object of the game is to see which team could fill the bucket on the other side the fastest using only the sponge. You could use a timer depending on the size of the teams. The players take turns filling up the bucket until everyone has had a turn or the timer goes off. The team with the most water in the end bucket wins!

Water balloon toss
You will need many water balloons filled up and a container for the water balloons. Have the players find a partner and line up in 2 lines facing the partner (about 3 feet apart). Each team gets one water balloon. Have one player toss the balloon to their partner. If the partner catches it they take one step backwards. The players continue tossing the water balloons back and forth, taking steps back. The team that makes it the furthest distance apart wins!

Water balloon "squat"
You'll need filled water balloons (enough for each kid plus some extras), a container to hold the water balloons, and a length of rope to mark the finish line. Divide the players into 2 equal teams and have someone stand between the teams handing them a balloon when it's their turn. On the word "Go", the first kid on each team gets a balloon, runs the the finish line, sits on their balloon, pops it and runs back to the starting line, tagging the next team mate. The first team to finish wins!

Water balloon dodge-ball
Save this for the next to last game to use up the rest of the water balloons. Have 50+ water balloons in a big container and a rope in the middle so they don't cross sides. Divide the players into 2 equal teams and have them go on either side of the rope and back up an equal distance. On the word "Go", each team must try to hit the opposing team with their water balloons but they must stay on their side. If someone gets hit with a water balloon, they sit on the side for 10 seconds then they could rejoin their team. Play until the balloons are gone.

Water balloon clean up
This is the best game of all because they clean up their own mess! Make this the final game of the day and you'll have lots of excited helpers. On the word "Go" the player to gather the most water balloons pieces wins a prize!

Water Slide
I didn't plan on this but when we arrived at the reunion, the host offered us a really long piece of plastic for a water slide. We put it on the hill and turned the water on. They played on that for an hour or so.

P90X week 11 update

2011-06-30T21:08:00.000-06:00

Writing in a fitness journal can help you get to know yourself. Keep it and refer to it often. You will learn your strengths and weaknesses. To view my P90X playlist click here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD7A0C05451512D9F

WestFest Fireworks 2011

2011-06-27T22:22:00.000-06:00

Awesome pictures and video of WestFest Fireworks. Including an interview with one of the fireworks crew men.

Stubborn Tooth

2011-06-27T17:51:00.000-06:00

Her tooth must come out but it is stubborn.

Dog Stitches

2011-06-23T12:40:00.001-06:00

Roxy cut her foot and needed stitches.

Double rainbows, motorcycles, and models

2011-06-22T15:48:00.000-06:00

A fun filled weekend! We saw double rainbows, rode motorcycles and pretended to be models.

Delicious, Healthy Recovery Drink

2011-06-21T08:57:00.000-06:00

Make your own smoothie recovery drink. Super healthy with strawberries, bananas, yogurt, blueberries, pro-biotic drink, and flax seeds.

P90X week 9 update

2011-06-17T21:14:00.000-06:00

Ice cream for chores

2011-06-17T09:44:00.000-06:00

The kids learn how fun it is to make their beds!

P90X Day 60

2011-06-14T14:55:00.000-06:00

Day 60... the end is near! To view all my P90X videos click here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PLD7A0C05451512D9F

Fun Times at the Dentist

2011-06-10T12:39:00.000-06:00

A fun filled day at the dentist, park and fishing!

P90X week 8 update

2011-06-10T10:14:00.000-06:00

I finished phase 2, on to phase 3!

All grown up

2011-06-06T10:22:00.000-06:00

My baby sister graduated from high school.

Dog Hop-Scotch

2011-06-03T12:20:00.000-06:00

Grandpa is a hot dog

2011-06-01T13:39:00.002-06:00

Going camping, swinging, roasting hotdogs and marshmallows!

Happy Birthday in 6 languages

2011-06-01T12:17:00.000-06:00

For my birthday I got sung to in 6 languages: English, Japanese, Greek, Portugese, Sign Language, and Spanish.

P90X week 7 update

2011-05-30T14:23:00.000-06:00

I'm almost done with phase 2!

Tooth Fairy Birthday Party

2011-05-30T12:57:00.000-06:00

The girls loved this tooth fairy party!

Tooth Fairy Bags

2011-05-26T17:16:00.000-06:00

To make the tooth fairy bags I started by drawing a tooth. It's a heart shape with a wide bottom then you cut out the middle to make "legs." I cut it out and traced it 9 times onto a permanent no-sew adhesive. Cut those out....

Follow the directions for the adhesive by ironing them onto my white cloth. I used some white sheets. Then cut them out... lots of cutting.

Peel off the paper back on the tooth and iron onto the bags. I purchased these colored bags at the dollar store. There is a little bit of plastic in the fabric though. I had to lower the temperature of the iron and press longer. I also put a piece of cardboard in the bags so nothing would seep through to the other side.

Decorate the bags with glitter glue and foam stickers. I also picked up some fairy dust at the dollar store to make it sparkle.

This was a great activity for the tooth fairy birthday party. The kids were all very creative and unique. Note to self: next time get only one color... they all wanted pink.

I have created a store where you will find more tooth fairy products.
SimplyFamily's Store at Zazzle

Making a cute tooth cake

2011-05-26T15:40:00.000-06:00

How to make a tooth cake for a tooth fairy birthday party.